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Monday, August 10, 2015

How to Make a Gemstone Tree


This entry is a bit different from what I usually post because this time I'm gonna be sharing not my creation, but one of my mom's. It was nice of her to provide pictures of the steps she did to come up with this lovely little tree. This is made from rose quartz.

To make a tree similar to this you will need:

Jewelry wire (the gauge used on this is 24)
Gemstones of your choice
Floral wrapping tape
Floral stem wire
Measuring tape
Pliers and wire cutter
Craft glue (E6000 or similar)
Pebbles
Decorative pot (like a bonsai pot or shallow vase)

  

 
 

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: String gems onto the jewelry wire, estimate how many you will be needing for each branch or you can just string lots since you will keep on adding gems for your next branches anyway. For this, each branch has 5 clusters with 3 gems each, so 15 gems per branch.


Step 2: Leave about 3 inches of wire for the stem before the first group of gems, 3 gems, then twist the wire to secure the gems in place. 


Step 3: .Make 4 more groups of gems about half to 1 cm apart, there's no need to be too precise. Twist the wire from both sides of the gems together to form a single stem, cut the wire.

 

Step 4: Make more branches of gemstones enough for the size of the tree you want to make.


Step 5: Twist two branches together to form a branch with thicker stem. If you want branches with stems of different thickness, you can leave some of the original ones without twisting two together.


Step 6: Wrap the stems with floral tape.

 
Step 7: Make the trunk using the floral stem wire. Decide how thick and long you want the trunk to be, combine the stem wires together and wrap with floral tape. Leave about 5 to 6 inches of unwrapped stem wires, these will serve as the roots to be glued to the vase.

 

Step 8: Attach the branches to the trunk starting from the top using your craft glue and wrap with floral tape. Do this one branch at a time - glue a branch, wrap with floral tape (don't cut the tape, just continue to the next branch), glue another branch, wrap with floral tape, and so on.

You can scatter the branches evenly around the trunk or you can put more on one side for a different look, it's all up to you.

 

Step 9: Glue the roots to the vase, make sure to put generous amount of glue to secure the tree. Add the pebbles to cover the roots. It's recommended to also glue all the pebbles so they would stay in place specially when you're planning to ship them. You can add and glue some gems on top of the pebbles to make it look like there are fallen leaves.


And, it's done. This is about 9.5 inches in height. I love the bonsai look. The vase or the pot used looks perfect with the rest of the tree.


This is another one of my mom's gemstone trees, with a different style and this one's made with cherry quartz. The possibilities are endless with this craft, you can choose what gemstone or wire color to use, the height of the tree, or the direction of the branches. You can let real trees inspire you and try to make your creations look like them. I'll be making one soon, too, and I'm going for a cherry blossom tree, or a tree in the winter covered with snow maybe.

Thank you for visiting. Have a great day!



19 comments:

  1. This is so lovely!(: I enjoy learning and making new crafts. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you! I do, too. I'm always on a lookout for new crafts to try.

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  2. I love this tutorial thanks for sharing!!!

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  3. ooh nice these are super expensive in the mall!

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  4. These are nicely done, will make fine gift for girl friends.

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    1. Thank you. Yup, I myself would love to receive one, haha.

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  5. Galing! Perfect for Christmas :))

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  6. I hope I had the patience and creativity to start a craft project like this. This would be perfect as a table centerpiece. With personal touch pa! Thanks for sharing!

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  7. Thanks for the tutorial! Love it!

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  8. Lovely! I only hope I can have extra time to try this...

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    1. Thank you. Yup, you do need time to make one, I hope you get the chance. Have fun!

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  9. Lovely! I only hope I can have extra time to try this...

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  10. Super pretty! Now we know where you got your creativity!

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  11. Brilliant! When I think of gemstones, I imagine accessories worn during special occasions. I never knew they can be also be used for a DIY project like this. There is potential business here. -- Maria Teresa Figuerres

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    1. Thank you. Yes, I think so, too, they would be really nice gifts.

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